


Through the Night

by edensgarden



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, Reader-Insert, This is before Juza officially joined the Autumn Troupe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:02:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25676275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edensgarden/pseuds/edensgarden
Summary: You were in the middle of closing the bakery, when you noticed a handsome stranger struggle out in the rain.
Relationships: Hyodo Juza/ Reader
Comments: 9
Kudos: 61





	Through the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Yooooo guys! Guess who joined yet ANOTHER fandom to write for?  
> Yeah! It's me!  
> Why do I keep doing this to myself? Do I not have enough 2D men to fawn over?  
> APPARENTLY NOT!
> 
> All jokes aside - I've been spending a lot of time playing A3! and as someone, who did theater for 8+ years, I've got to say, it's such a nice game! I love the friendships that develop over time, the struggle of these young men, who all just want to stand on the stage and just UGH every single character is so lovable!!!
> 
> After reading through a few backstories from Juza, I just had this itch in my fingers to write for him. And then he just popped out of my phone and talked my ear off until I wrote this scenario! He's now sitting beside me with a smug grin - I guess he likes this short story? I hope you'll like it too! 
> 
> Happy reading! <3

Rain pelted on the asphalt in harsh waves, building small pools along the street. They traveled until they disappeared in the drainage lids, the smell of wet asphalt wafting into the air. You watched from the window of the warm and dry bakery as everything turned soaking wet.

“Phew.” You whistled under your breath and swiped the table beneath you clean. How lucky to have shelter during a storm like this.

The weather report had mentioned nothing about rain that morning, let alone about an impending thunderstorm. If the gray clouds were anything to go by, the sky would soon be ripped in half by angry golden streaks.

The clock struck six o’clock. Closing time.

You walked towards the entrance door to flip the sign hanging off it. _OPEN_ turned to _CLOSED_. You were about to lock the door from the inside to get changed in the staff room, but stopped when something caught your attention. Your eyes widened when you saw a silhouette rushing through the mist that had settled on the streets.

Who in their right mind would be outside during a storm like this?

You gripped onto the door handle tighter as curiosity got the better of you. You narrowed your eyes and craned your neck to get a better view.

A strong breeze whistled through the trees, causing even the street signs to vibrate. The silhouette started to take shape, turning into a tall and brawny figure. Something big and rectangular was hovering above the silhouette.

A backpack turned into a makeshift umbrella to shield the figure from the never-ending raindrops.

Your body moved on its own accord when you opened the door, your legs getting a mind of their own when you stepped out, your vocal chords loud and clear through the stream of the white noise.

“Excuse me!”

You waved frantically to the stranger, who whipped his head in surprise to your direction. Purple strands glistened like freshly cleansed diamonds as eyes the color of sun fixed on you. The closer he ran towards you to escape the rain, the clearer he became to you.

Tall and covered in lean muscle, there was no denying the air of intimidation he gave off. He was completely drenched from the rain, his white shirt clinging to every crevice of his body like second skin. His hair lay flat across his face, a brilliant contrast to unquestionably the most striking feature of him - his golden eyes.

They stared at you wide-eyed, clouded in a sort of urgency that made you usher him inside before you could even stomach what was going on.

“Thank you.” The stranger murmured as he placed his backpack on the ground.

“Of course!” You blurted without thinking, closing the door behind you.

Water dripped everywhere and pooled on the ground. The thought of having to mop the floor again made you cringe. He picked up on your expression and shifted uncomfortably, ready to apologize, but you cut him off before he had the chance to.

“You must be freezing right now… What were you even doing out there in this rain? Do you not have an umbrella?”

“Huh? Uh, no… I don’t.” His gruff voice matched his frown and it turned steadier the longer he had time to catch his breath, “This damn rain came out of nowhere.”

You nodded, “Yeah… It really did! Truth be told… I don’t have an umbrella with me either.” You gave him an apologetic smile, “Looks like we both have to sit it out here.”

He made a sound of affirmation and you took this moment to fully inspect him. His fingers were shivering, his lips set in a straight line as he looked _very_ much out of line in this very pink and very flowery bakery. The sight almost made you smile.

A light bulb went off in your head, “Would you like to change into dry clothes?”

“Huh?” He gave you a strange look, his expression much ruder than he had intended. Damn him and his pre-set face to look mean.

“We have another set of our uniform in the back.” You pointed behind your shoulder, “My co-worker called in sick this week, so he won’t be needing his.”

His brows raised at that. “Oh, really? Is that alright with you?”

“Of course, don’t be silly!”

“S-Silly?”

You only laughed at his dumbfounded stare, “You’re gonna get sick if you stay like this. Come on. Let’s get you dry and warm.”

You guided him towards the staff room, and he followed you silently, almost obediently, not unlike a dog following its owner. He was stunned for words, not having expected this act of kindness from a complete stranger, let alone a young girl, who looked to be around his age.

Usually girls his age, or women in general, tended to avoid him. He had a rather uninviting look on his face and a very short temper to match. Add the copious amounts of rumors about him and the constant fights he got into and the list of girls, who’d willingly talk to him became non-existent.

And the fact that right now, you were ruffling through his hair with a spare towel while talking about how you were just about to close up the bakery, but were stuck because of the rain, and how you were so vulnerable in front of him as if you _trusted_ him was enough to turn his ears red.

Thank god you kept the towel on his head to cover his expression from you.

“You… You’re not scared of me?” He muttered, more to himself.

“Hm? Did you say something?” Your hands stopped on his head and you peeked underneath the towel.

He took the fabric from you and pressed it against his face, pretending to wipe away the remaining wetness, “Nah. ‘s nothing…”

“Oh… Okay. I’ll be out front. Here. This is my colleagues uniform. His size should be close to yours, you seem to have the same build.” And with that, you left him behind to mop the mess he had brought with him.

He breathed a sigh of relief, his face burning as he tried to come to terms with how casual you were being with him. He slipped out of his clothes and wrung them above the sink. Had you introduced yourself yet? Had he given you his name? Why was he even thinking about this so much?

After a few more minutes of internal self-debate, he joined you inside the bakery with shy steps. Shy? What the hell had gotten into him?

“Juza.” He said gruffly, keeping his eyes on the counter stubbornly when you turned to give him a curious tilt of your head, “Juza Hyodo.”

Your eyes widened for a split second when you realized what he meant, but that was soon diminished by your amused chuckle, “(Name). (Name) (Surname). Nice to meet you, Juza-kun.”

Any look of disinterest he tried to fake at your intimate approach was wiped when his stomach growled like a starved beast. Heat rose to his cheeks again. Oh god, now you were laughing at him again. Talk about making a fool of himself… Could you not see how embarrassing this was for him?

“It’s your lucky day.” You said as you moved to the other side of the counter, “We still have leftovers.”

His ears perked in interest and he found himself walking towards you, leaning down to rest his forearms on the counter. He tried to cover up his earlier fluster by attempting to make conversation, “What kind?”

“I hope you don’t mind sweet stuff, because that’s unfortunately the only thing we have left. Our savoury pastries are all sold out.”

You missed the way his lips twitched at the mention of sweet desserts, too busy to fix him a plate of pudding pretzels and nougat-filled croissants.

“There you go. Oh!” You straightened up and ducked down, disappearing for a good few seconds with clanking and cluttering coming from where you were crouched. You reappeared with a jar in your hand, shaking the dark powder inside it with a big grin, “Rainy weather calls for hot chocolate! Right?”

He gave you another quiet nod. And while you were standing with your back to him to boil milk in a pot, you started to chat his ear off until the air of apprehension around him started to crumble and he began to open up. Your carefree and jovial nature seemed to rub off on him and soon, he found himself smiling shyly while explaining what he had been doing out in the rain.

Juza had always admired actors and aspired to become one himself. But he had never found the courage to pursue his dreams, because of the sour face he always seemed to wear. _“People get scared of me and look the other way, but ‘s not like I can help it. This look is something I was born with.”_ He had said, prompting you to burst into laughter that had lasted far too long for his liking.

He watched you perplexed, partly entranced by the sound of your laughter, partly horrified that he had yet again said something embarrassing. But after you had collected yourself, you had explained that the image of a purple-haired newborn with a sour face had popped into your head, and naturally, you couldn’t stop yourself.

Juza watched you thoughtfully after that, his gold eyes full of confusion and a glimmer that resembled something akin to hope. The words seemed to just flow from his lips in a stream not unlike the clouds outside. His voice was husky, deep in a way that gripped at your stomach and filled your chest with warmth.

After having watched the performance of his cousin back in summer, he had felt inspired and encouraged to travel all the way to Veludo Way to try his luck. He had gotten lost in the rain while trying to find the building of the Mankai company. And in between trying to find shelter, but also not get even more lost, he had been running around in circles until you had spotted him and called him inside.

And all the while, you had been preparing your warm beverages, placing his cup gently in front of him. Steam rose from the chocolate and milk mixture, the aromatic scent of sweetness filling the air.

The tug of his lips didn’t go unnoticed by you and you smiled in amusement - this stranger turned out to be a really interesting person.

When he was finished talking and started eating, you picked up where he left off and talked about yourself. Your part-time job in this bakery while you were preparing for the entrance exams for college. Your relationship with the Mankai company and how it had been a coincidence that he was looking for the theater house that you regularly provided with pastries.

Wolfing down the treats in a matter of minutes, Juza tilted the cup with the hot chocolate against his lips, an appreciative small sigh following when the creamy texture coated his tongue. It warmed the back of his throat, forcing him to close his eyes. Now he really couldn’t hold back his face from showing his feelings.

“It’s good, right?” You asked smugly as you sipped on your own drink.

He nodded. His fingers tapped the counter as he gulped everything down in three more swallows. He stared at you expectantly, his plate licked clean and cup empty. The image reminded you so much of your puppy back at home - the only thing missing was the wagging tail and the flat ears on top of his head.

There was no way you could suppress another round of laughter at this, much to his dismay. However, this time, you saw how he bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from joining you. You pointed to his plate, “Want another round? We still have a bit left.”

He looked away, keeping his eyes focused on the vase standing next to the register. Filled with dozens of red spider lilies, the red was a beautiful contrast to the ivory tiles. His voice was almost too small to catch, completely uncharacteristic for someone that looked as intimidating as him, “I mean… It wouldn’t be good to waste the food…”

Your expression softened, “Of course not. We wouldn’t want that.”

His beady eyes locked with yours, knocking the breath right out of your lungs when he asked,

“So um... Can I have another one?”

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't played the game, I would 10/10 100% A+++++ recommend it to you.  
> It's a mobile visual novel game and it's TOP NOTCH - trust me, if you're into visual novels, you will LOVE this game!


End file.
